Low Budget Chiller Next Cult Hit

by Jason R. Hewlett

There has been a lot of positive buzz about the independent hit film "The Blair Witch Project." Through the Internet, a series of film ads, and a decent media campaign the anticipation for the wide release of the film has been huge. Not quite on a level with "The Phantom Menace" but still pretty darn high. Upon walking out of the film the first time, I had to see it twice to do an accurate review, I though that maybe the buzz wasn't worth the end product. However, after being kept awake for two nights thinking about the film and jumping at every sound I heard I knew the film was worth all the fuss. I now rank it right up there with "Halloween" as one of the best horror movies ever made!

The premise behind "The Blair Witch Project" is simple: three independent filmmakers go into the woods near Burkettsville, Maryland in search of a legendary witch that was rumored to haunt the area. They eventually become lost and then hunted by some unseen presence.

What adds to the film is that it was shot on 16MM film and a video camera in a documentary film style. The events we see are supposed to be really happening and the low tech approach to making the film carries off that illusion perfectly. We see the story unravel as it is actually "happening" and we are right there suffering through this experience with the three main characters. The results are nerve-bending and, at times, harrowing.

As for the scares: there are no jumps, no shocks, no gore, and no special effects. The horror that is experienced is 100% plausible. If you were lost in the woods and if you were being hunted and tormented by something horrible and unseen this is what it would be like. Frankly the thought of that is absolutely terrifying. I've spent most of my life running around in the woods and have heard, seen and felt many a strange thing. This film put all those experiences into a context I could have done without.

Writer/directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick deserve an Oscar for Best Directors. They did more with $25,000 than a zillion "The Haunting"s did with $60 million and that's enough for me. They have made a movie that gets under your skin and stays there for days. I look forward to their next collaboration!

10 out of 10!